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under secretary

American  
[uhn-der-sek-ri-ter-ee] / ˈʌn dərˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr i /
Or undersecretary

noun

(often initial capital letters)
  1. an official who is subordinate to a principal secretary, as in the U.S. cabinet.

    Under Secretary of the Treasury.


Etymology

Origin of under secretary

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Emil Michael, under secretary for research and engineering, has led the Defense Department’s negotiations with Anthropic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

The United States "expressed support for Pakistan's right to defend itself against Taliban attacks", Allison Hooker, the under secretary of state for political affairs, wrote on X after talks with her Pakistani counterpart.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

In the House of Lords, she continued her commitment to public service, notably serving as parliamentary under secretary of state for Wales.

From BBC • Jan. 5, 2025

"You don't want your next deputy under secretary of the Treasury to go work for a lobbyist for four years,' Fagan said. "You want them to be doing policy planning.

From Salon • Aug. 16, 2024

He was fuming because an under secretary had his motor, and he couldn't catch up with him.

From The Sleuth of St. James's Square by Post, Melville Davisson

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